Mop



2 Sheets-Sheet -2 May 8, 1934.

E. A, HALE MOP Filed June 18 1952 W wwf? Patented May 8, 1934 STATES PTENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mops and particularly to improvements in oil mops.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a mop with a guard which will cover a portion or the whole of the mop body so as to be capable of guarding the edges of rugs and other like articles from Contact with marring by the mop body which is conventionally composed of strands of suitable material.

Another object of my invention is to provide a guard for the mop body or strands which may be mounted upon the mop-head, and preferably is detachably mounted upon said mop-head, and which will efciently perform its function of preventing contact of such mop body or strands with rugs or the like while the mop is oiling or clean- Another object of my invention is to provide a guard construction for the mop body which will have a detachable mounting connection with the mop head and with the mop handle.

Still another object of my invention is to produce a mop having a detachable guard capable of ready and quick demounting to enable the insertion and storage of the mop within the conventional mop receptacle.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to coact and co-operate with each other in the periormance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptions the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a iront elevation partially broken away of a mop having my guard applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of a mop with guard embodying my invention showing the use of the same beneath a rug;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation partially broken away of the mop guard shown in Fig. 1, demounted from the mop;

Fig. fi is a section on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 8 is a view i'n front elevation of a modified form of the guard embodying my invention;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the mop and guard shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrow;

Fig. 9 is a view in plan of another modified form of my invention;

Fig. 10 is a View in plan of still another modiiied form of my invention.

Referring now to these drawings, which illustrate a. preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 is a mop composed of a mop head 1 which may 6G be of conventional construction and of any suitable type or configuration, and as shown, is composed of a mop head l', provided with strands la which may be connected with the head 1 in any conventional manner.

The mop body or strands of the mop are conventionally saturated with oil for the purpose of oiling floors and particularly for the purpose of oiling and dusting the edges of floors around rugs. In such manipulation of the mop, the edges of '10 the rugs are frequently soiled, and in fact, one of the great objections to the use of an oil mop is that it cannot be manipulated around the edges of rugs without soiling such rug edges.

In accordance with my invention, I am enabled Z5 to use a mop having oil-saturated strands to clean beneath the edges of a rug without soiling such edges, and for this purpose I provide the mop with a guard 2 of a suitable material impervious to oil and preferably having suicient rigidity to permit ready insertion of the guarded mop body beneath the edge of the rug during the cleaning manipulation of the mop, said guard also preferably being in Whole or in part composed of material that will not scratch or mar the iioor which is being mopped.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. l to 5, the guard 2 comprises a strand covering or guarding portion 2', the guard-head 2B4 which is in the said preferred em- 90 bodiment of my invention detachably mounted on the mop-head 1 and the handle 3 of the mop.

As illustrated in said figures, the mop is triangular in conformation, and the strand-covering guard member 2 depends from said guard 95 head and is arranged to t over and cover the mop strands or body at one side of the triangular mop head 1'.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the guard head 2a is channel-shaped in conformation and conforms with one side and two of the angular portions of the triangular mop head so as to embrace and fit said mop-head portion snugly.

The form of guard shown in Figs. 1 to 5 is composed of a rigid metallic element 2b which 105 is covered with outer and inner layers of rubber 2c and 2d, and the guard so composed has its channel-shaped head mounted on a Wire core 2e which extends beyond the ends of the head 2a and as illustrated, has on opposite sides integral fastening lugs 2f, which extend upwardly and cross each other obliquely as shown at 2g, to provide spirals 2h adapted to intermesh, and when so intermeshed, to form a bore or guard socket through which the handle 3 may be passed. The bearing and fastening on the mop head and handle will thus enable a secure detachable connection of the guard with the mop head.

As illustrated, these intermeshing spirals 2h extend above the usual handle socket 3' so that upon a bringing together or interengagement of the spirals, the handle may be passed through the interengaged spirals and then into the handle-socket which is in all respects conventional.

When a guard is so mounted upon my improved mop, the strand-covering guard member 2 will completely cover the strands and may be inserted under the edge 4 of a rug 4 during the oiling and dusting of the edges of the oor upon which the rug is laid, and it will be seen from Fig. 2 that the guard member 2 will prevent any contact between the strands 1EL covered thereby and the bottom or edge of the rug 4.

It will be seen, furthermore, that in the guard construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5, I am enabled after manipulation of the mop in the cleaning or oiling operation, to readily release and demount the guard from the mop head so that the mop, if desired, may be inserted and stored in the usual metallic receptacle furnished by the mop manufacturer for that purpose.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified form or my invention in Which the strand-covering guard member 6 is hinged by hinge elements 63 on a guard-head member 6'. The device is fastened to the mop head l by means of oppositely-disposed strands of wire 6b which form the pintle of the hinge, and also extend under the edges of one side of the mop head and then rearwardly as shown at 6c in Fig. 7, and the opposite ends of the Wire have U-shaped portions fastened over the central leg of the mop head, as shown at 6d. In the hinged construction shown in Figs. 6, 'l and 8, it is desirable that an apron be provided adjacent to the hinge joint so as to avoid the filtration of oil through the hinged portions, and I have, as illustrated, shown an apron 6e extending beneath the hinge for this purpose. In said Figs. 6, 7 and 8 I have also shown the member 6 formed of non-scratching metal alone unsheathed by rubber.

It will be seen that a guard of the character shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 may be readily demounted from the head by merely releasing the U- shaped portion 6 and passing the same through the strands.

In Figs. 9 and 10 have shown another modi` fied form of my invention in which the guard element 7 is formed of a flexible material such as stiiened fabric, rubber or linoleum and is connected to the guard-head 7' which is immovably mounted upon the head l' of the mop 1. The head 7' may be made of similar material, and if desired, may be sewn or otherwise securely fastened to the mop head 1.

In Fig. 10 I have shown still another modied form of my invention in which the strand-covering guard member 8 is fastened to a demountable guard head 8.

As illustrated, the guard head 8 instead of merely covering the strands at one side of a leg of the mop-head, is extended to cover the strands extending from the three legs of the mop head so that substantially al1 parts of the mop will be protected by the guard 8.

As illustrated, the said guard 8 is fastened by wire 8b in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

1. A mop comprising a mop-head and a mopbody composed of strands of suitable material, and a strand-covering guard member connected to the head or" said mop and comprising a guard head portion extending downwardly adjacent to the mop head and a rigid strand-guarding portion extending outwardly over the mop strands in a plane inclined slightly from the horizontal to provide an outer edge slidable in a horizontal plane over a floor and adapted for projection of said mop body and strand-guarding portion under rugs and similar floor coverings beneath which it is desired to use the mop.

2. A mop comprising a mop-head and a mopbcdy composed of strands of suitable material, anda strand-covering guard member comprising aguard head portion extending downwardly adjacent to the niop head anda rigid strand-guarding portion exten-:ling outwardly over the mop strands in a plane inclined slightly from the horizontal to provideY an outer edge slidable in a horizontal. plane over a floor and adapted for projection of said mopY body and strand-guarding portion under rugs and similar floor coverings beneath which it is desired to use thek mop, said mop guard having with said mop-head a releasable fastening connection adapted to permit de'- tachrnent from the mop-head to enable storage of the mop in a conventional' mop container.

ELIZABETH A. HALE. 

